Cillian Murphy on His New Movie 'Steve'

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “All Of It” — Cillian Murphy on His New Movie Steve (WNYC, Sep 10, 2025)

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Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It features a conversation between host Alison Stewart and Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy about his latest film, Steve. The discussion covers Murphy’s dual role as both actor and producer, the process of bringing Max Porter’s book to the screen, unique production approaches, acting philosophy, character insights, and working with young co-stars. Central themes include vocational teaching, addiction, emotional labor, and the importance of humanizing at-risk youth in cinema.

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Key Topics and Insights

1. Fast and Sequential Production

• Rapid Development: The film moved from book to script to shooting in approximately six months, which Murphy found both challenging and energizing.

  "[T]his all happened fairly quickly... maybe six months. It was pretty quick." (01:45 – Cillian Murphy)

• Benefits of Brief Shoots: Murphy prefers shorter shoots, especially for emotionally taxing roles, and had double duties as a producer.

  "It's very hard to sustain that...charged anxiety...for this character." (01:58 – Cillian Murphy)

• Shooting Chronologically: Inspired by Ken Loach, Murphy implemented chronological shooting, rare in filmmaking, which benefited young actors by allowing their performances and emotional arcs to develop organically.

  "...shoot the film chronologically and sequentially. And that was massively beneficial..." (02:29 – Cillian Murphy)

2. Directorial Trust and Creative Safety

• Working with Director Tim Mealance: This film marks Murphy’s third collaboration with director Tim Mealance. He describes a highly trusting, creative partnership.

  "He's a magician, really... I'd work with him forever. We have a massive understanding and trust together." (04:19, 05:05 – Cillian Murphy)

• Safety to Experiment: Creative safety is crucial; it enables risk-taking and genuine discovery during performance.

  "...feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real creativity..." (05:44 – Cillian Murphy)

3. Portraying Steve: Character, Backstory, and Motivation

• A Day in the Life Structure: The film is intentionally narrow in scope, focusing on a single turbulent day. Murphy leans into immediacy and reactivity rather than constructing elaborate backstories.

  "...it's a day in the life...all you need to know about the characters is what you receive on the screen." (06:20 – Cillian Murphy)

• Vocational Teaching: Murphy, the son of two teachers, speaks passionately about the drive to help at-risk or written-off youth, portraying Steve as compassionate to a fault.

  "I think it's a vocational job. You have a drive in you to help people or to help children in this case." (08:04 – Cillian Murphy)

• Self-sacrifice and Downside: Steve's dedication leads him to neglect his own well-being, embodying the classic "put your own oxygen mask on first" dilemma.

  "He's probably not looking...after himself in any way." (09:19 – Cillian Murphy)

4. On-Screen Dynamics and Addiction

• De-escalation: Steve’s strength is his ability to remain calm and diffuse volatile situations—both scripted and developed further through collaborative rehearsal and blocking.

  "They are diffusers...they don't have that sort of sense of aggression or kind of...they don't react in that way." (10:53 – Cillian Murphy)

• Compartmentalization & Addiction: Steve’s addiction surfaces as he hides drugs and alcohol, rationalizing these behaviors. Murphy addresses the complexities of justifying such inauthentic coping strategies.

  "Everything becomes justified. I think." (16:08 – Cillian Murphy)

5. Relationship with Shai and Other Students

• Mirror Characters: Steve and student Shai are portrayed as two sides of the same coin—sensitive, talented, and troubled—both spiraling during the same harrowing day.

  "They're both really sensitive and brilliant...events trigger them both into this kind of breakdown..." (16:42 – Cillian Murphy)

• Seeing the Best in Others: Steve’s defining trait is his ability to see promise and value in kids society has marginalized.

  "He's not one of those people...I think he sees the best in people." (17:36 – Cillian Murphy)

6. Collaborating with Young and Seasoned Co-stars

• Working with Young Actors: Murphy describes the young cast as "a real shot in the arm"—energizing, natural, and committed.

  "They're so committed. So I kind of thrived off their energy..." (13:53 – Cillian Murphy)

• On Tracey Ullman: Ullman’s dramatic role is highlighted as both surprising and deeply moving; Murphy calls her his character's most trusted confidante.

  "She's just an icon, also a beautiful human being... brilliant dramatic actor and just doesn't get to show that off much." (14:53 – Cillian Murphy)

7. Ambiguous Endings and Interpretation

• Open Ending: Murphy deliberately refuses to state what he thinks happens to Steve after the events of the film, valuing audience interpretation.

  "...the audience finishes the story rather than the storytellers." (22:09 – Cillian Murphy)

8. Philosophy on Writing and Choosing Roles

• Peaky Blinders and Character Longevity: Murphy is drawn to excellent writing. His long tenure as Tommy Shelby is due to the show's strong scripts, allowing unique character development over more than a decade.

  "The writing was always the draw...you get to age with that character and kind of...go to places you never normally would, really." (23:17 – Cillian Murphy)

• Judging Scripts: The script is the "foundation of every film," and Murphy does not shy from turning down big projects if the writing is weak.

  "If the script is shaky, the house is gonna fall down." (24:21 – Cillian Murphy)

9. Audience Connection

• Completion Through Viewership: Murphy sees films as completed through the emotional responses and interpretations of audiences rather than explicit messaging.

  "...the film isn't finished until people see it and the audiences finish the film for themselves, and we don't do it." (24:57 – Cillian Murphy)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |------------|--------|----------| | 01:58 | "It's very hard to sustain that...charged anxiety...for this character." | Cillian Murphy | | 02:29 | "[Chronological shooting] was massively beneficial to us and to the younger actors and to the crew." | Cillian Murphy | | 04:19 | "He's a magician, really... I'd work with him forever." | Cillian Murphy | | 05:44 | "Just feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real creativity, I think." | Cillian Murphy | | 08:04 | "I think it's a vocational job. You have a drive in you to help people or to help children in this case." | Cillian Murphy | | 09:19 | "He's probably not looking...after himself in any way." | Cillian Murphy | | 16:08 | "Everything becomes justified. I think." |-Cillian Murphy | | 17:36 | "I think he sees the best in people. He's not one of those people." | Cillian Murphy | | 22:09 | "...the audience finishes the story rather than the storytellers." | Cillian Murphy | | 23:17 | "The writing was always the draw...you get to age with that character..." | Cillian Murphy | | 24:21 | "If the script is shaky, the house is gonna fall down." | Cillian Murphy | | 24:57 | "...the film isn't finished until people see it and the audiences finish the film for themselves, and we don't do it." | Cillian Murphy |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] — Fast production and chronological shooting
• [04:19] — Relationship with director Tim Mealance, creative trust
• [05:44] — Safety in creativity, making mistakes
• [08:04] — Discussion on vocational teaching, and personal/family context
• [09:19] — Steve’s sacrifices and self-neglect
• [10:53] — Steve’s skill at de-escalation, collaborative scene work
• [13:53] — Working with young actors
• [14:53] — Tracey Ullman's impact and character relationship
• [16:42] — Steve's relationship with Shai (student)
• [17:36] — Seeing the best in troubled kids
• [22:09] — Ambiguous ending, art as dialogue with audience
• [23:17] — Peaky Blinders, longevity of roles
• [24:21] — Philosophy on selecting scripts and projects
• [24:57] — The role of the audience in completing a film's meaning

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Conclusion

This episode offers a deep-dive into the making and meaning of Steve, illuminating both the technical aspects of the filmmaking process and the emotional, philosophical layers of the film’s story and central character. Cillian Murphy’s candor about acting, producing, and interpreting art provides rich context for audiences, educators, and fans interested in the intersection of personal vocation, social systems, and creative expression.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

In the new film, Steve, Oscar winning actor Cillian Murphy stars as a man having a very, very bad day. Steve is the head teacher at a reform school for boys in Britain. His pupils are funny and angry and talented and an explosive. Steve has to be everywhere at once, stopping fights and incredibly encouraging learning and telling his students that they can't call him terrible names to his face. On this particular day, a journalist and a camera crew are at the school to do a story on the school and its students. The kids are very excited to be on camera. Steve Lesso. Things go downhill fast when one of Steve's favorite students, a kid named Shai, has a terrible phone call with his mother. He starts to act out with the camera crew rolling. To make matters worse, Steve receives troubling news about the future of the school. And Steve himself is struggling with addiction, sneaking drinks and taking drugs throughout the day. All of this swirls together into a toxic stew. And when a crisis with Shai arrives, Steve isn't fully prepared to handle it. Steve is in select theaters on September 19th and on Netflix October 3rd. Here's my conversation with Cillian Murphy.

[Interviewer]

So, Cillian, this all happened fairly quickly. It went from a book to a script to shooting. How long did that take?

[Cillian Murphy]

I'd say about maybe six months. It was pretty quick.

[Interviewer]

What do you like or what's good about shooting in such a quick style?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, I always prefer a shorter shoot than a long shoot, particularly for a story like this. It's very hard to sustain that, certainly for this character, that level of kind of charged anxiety and kind of live it. And I was also a producer on this film, so I was kind of double jobbing. So a nice brief shoot was probably the best in this instance.

[Interviewer]

What did you learn about producing, making Steve that you maybe didn't know before?

[Cillian Murphy]

Oh, gosh. Well, I kind of employed a few things or a few approaches on this film that I'd learned many years ago when I was working with Ken Loach. And one of which we managed to shoot the film chronologically and sequentially. And that was massively beneficial to us and to the younger actors and to the crew. And, you know, ultimately that's what you do if you could with every film. But just logistically it doesn't make any sense if you're moving around the place. But we were in one location, so we managed to do it. And then there's a few other tricks, like we. The scene where this, the head of the trust comes to tell them the school is shutting down. We had never encountered those actors or met them or rehearsed with them or seen them. And the first time they walk into the room is the first time we'd ever seen them. So the scene was incredibly charged and incredibly adrenalized when it happened. And there are the takes that we used in the film. And that's a kenlo tactic.

[Interviewer]

That's interesting that you shot chronologically. Why would that be useful to young actors?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, because, you know, you're not jumping around the schedule all the time, shooting the end first, you know, so they're accumulating the information emotionally as they go along, as per the character. And so it just say if it's your first time making a film, you know, it's like life. You're gathering it in a linear fashion rather than a crazy all over the place fashion.

[Interviewer]

And is that something that you learned to develop as an actor in film?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, you can't do it normally, but I had the luxury of doing it once. So if any time I can, I'll try and do it.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about working with your director. You've worked with him before?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, this is our third piece of work together. He's a magician, really. I'm like, kind of in awe of what he does. We work together on series three of Peaky Blinders. And, you know, it was a very piece different piece of work because it's quite, you know, broad in some ways and it's very kind of aggressive and loud and. Whereas this film had to be very, very sensitive and delicate. And I could see that he had all those skills. He's a real, real artist. And we had made this other film together called Small Things like these. And actors absolutely adore working with him.

[Interviewer]

And what's his name again?

[Cillian Murphy]

Tim Mealance.

[Interviewer]

I'm glad you said it. Tim Mealance.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah. And so, I mean, I'd work with him forever. He's just. We have a massive understanding and trust together, you know.

[Interviewer]

Why do you trust him? Why do you trust him? The lens?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, you learn that through work and experience, you know, and you know that he'll be there to protect me. He's not gonna kind of let me down and I'm not gonna let him down. And we, we have a shared taste, I think, and. And we really care about each other. And therefore, when you go to do the work, you feel safe.

[Co-Interviewer]

That's interesting. Feeling safe for an actor. What does that mean exactly?

[Cillian Murphy]

Just feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real Creativity, I think. And so you have to be in a safe environment to do that.

[Co-Interviewer]

We're talking to Cillian Murphy about his new film, Steve. He produced it as well. We get this glimpse into Steve's life at work. Not so much his backstory, not so much what's going on with him outside of the school. In your head, did you have a sense of Steve's backstory?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, to a degree. Like the way the film is structured is that it's a day in the life. So it begins at like 8 o' clock in the morning on one day and it finishes at the same time the next day. And so really what all you need to know about the characters is what you receive on the screen. And so a lot of the younger actors had a whole kind of constellation of lives worked out for them. And I talked an awful lot to the writer Max Porter about Steve, but ultimately for me it wasn't about, it was more about reacting than acting, if you know what I mean.

[Co-Interviewer]

This, this particular job, because you had.

[Cillian Murphy]

To react because, well, because like that's the way that his day unfolded was. Oh, I didn't realize that the, that the documentary crew were coming. Oh my God, there's a member of parliament coming and, and he's one of these people that's constantly not. Doesn't has a deficit of time, a deficit of sleep, a deficit of budget. You know, he's over caffeinated. So I felt that the best way to do it was not to plan anything and just to be completely open to what I received.

[Co-Interviewer]

Really, when he realizes that the documentary crew is going to be there, the look in your eyes is just like.

[Interviewer]

Oh crap, I can't believe this happened.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, we've all been there, right?

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What do you think?

[Co-Interviewer]

Why do you think Steve has come to this job, this job being a teacher at a school for at risk boys?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, you know, both my parents are retired teachers now. They.

[Co-Interviewer]

Oh, my mom was a teacher.

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, there you go. And so many people I've met over the course of promoting this film have teachers or social workers as parents. And I think it's a vocational job. I think you kind of need to do this thing and you have a drive in you to help people or to help children in this case. And I feel like, you know, the kid that has been written off for the kid, that sort of the institution or society has abandoned kind of ideologically. If you can reach that kid and make him or her like feel seen or I think if you can do that, that, that Level of satisfaction, keeps bringing people back to it. That's, you know, this is not being a teacher, but having. Growing up around teachers. This is what I kind of feel is the drive for the good ones.

[Interviewer]

Steve, he seems like someone who is truly dedicated to his work, to helping these kids. But what do you think he loses or sacrifices by giving so much to the children at the school?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think that it's that old kind of adage that, you know, like, put on your own oxygen mask first before putting, you know, on others. And I think he's probably. He's probably not looking. Caring it for himself in any way. And, you know, so he's. He's mining all these kids and the school is falling apart and it's underfunded, and then he's going home, as you say, to these two little girls and his wife. And, you know, they're probably struggling to meet the mortgage and all these things. So I think the last thing he's thinking about is himself. And there's a lot of unresolved things that he's carrying around with that that become clear over the course of the film.

[Interviewer]

What does he want for the boys at the school?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think he just. I think he's working day to day. I don't think he really has an overarching kind of ambition. I think he wants them to be okay today and then okay tomorrow, and then. And then ultimately I think he wants them to feel like they are valued and that they are valued in the school and then hopefully valued by society, because a lot of them would have. I think there's a sort of a, you know, a generational shame or whatever that's passed down or they've not been looked after or there hasn't been. There's been absent parents or whatever. So just to feel valued.

[Interviewer]

I think he's very good at de escalation.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Why do you think he's so good at de escalation?

[Cillian Murphy]

Again, I think it's a set. It's a set of the way some people have a nature like that. They're just sort of. They don't have that sort of sense of aggression or kind of. They don't react in that way. And they are diffusers, you know, I.

[Interviewer]

Always wonder about those people because they're so calm in a moment of. Which could easily turn, you know, and there are moments in the film where it could easily turn. How did you work with that dynamic?

[Co-Interviewer]

Is it in the script?

[Interviewer]

Is it the director?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, it's very much working with Tim, the director, and With Max the writer, and kind of pushing it and pushing it and pushing it physically. And like, you know, that first fight with the boys that he intervenes in, like we added the bit that he actually gets knocked down and knocked over. That wasn't, you know, that wasn't part of it. But we worked that out in the blocking of the scene. So you kind of keep turning it up to the point where it's not just breaking the fight up, but in fact he's getting knocked down, but he manages to hold it together and stuff like that. You know, just keep. To keep experimenting with the, with the scenes.

[Interviewer]

Did you tap into anything personally when you were in those scenes? I mean, were you like that as a teenager? Were you ever like that as a young man where you just thought, the world isn't going to understand me. I don't want to deal with it, I'm walking away.

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, I think that's the condition of adolescence really, isn't it? I mean, a lot of the world is. You are the most important thing in the whole world and that is what people. It's a very sort of solipsistic kind of existence, as it should be. You're the most important thing that's created. But then if you don't have any support system or outlet or anyone to talk to, it can turn inwards and become very problematic. So I guess I had all of that. But luckily I had a very stable family and, you know, I was very lucky. So you can see how it couldn't go anyway. Really.

[Interviewer]

Was acting ever a part of that when you were young?

[Cillian Murphy]

No, I didn't start Till I was 20, but I was playing music. I was playing a lot of music.

[Narrator]

Oh, really?

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What did you play?

[Cillian Murphy]

I was just playing in bands for a long time. Playing?

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Any names that we would.

[Cillian Murphy]

Plenty, Plenty. You don't need to know.

[Interviewer]

I worked at MTV for a very long time. Since I was asking. I was.

[Cillian Murphy]

We never ever got anywhere near mtv.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

So.

[Co-Interviewer]

My guest is Oscar winning actor Cillian Murphy. We're discussing his new movie, Steve, which is about a headteacher at a Last Chance Boys reform school. It's in select theaters on September 19th and on Netflix October 3rd.

[Interviewer]

What was it like to work with so many young actors on a set?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, they're amazing. They gave me a real shot in the arm, you know, their commitment and their energy for it and their dedication. That's something you try to sustain over a 30 year career, you know, but those guys have it in such. It's so natural to them, and they're. They're so committed. So I kind of thrived off their energy, you know.

[Interviewer]

What did you get out of working with young, young, young actors?

[Cillian Murphy]

I just think it's the. Yeah, just the.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

The.

[Cillian Murphy]

Their life. The life that they have and that sense of potential that kind of gets eroded and as you get older, I suppose.

[Interviewer]

I love that Tracey Ullman was in this, and it was interesting watching a couple of interviews that you've done about the film. She makes you smile every time she talks about her character, which isn't a particularly comical character. No, not at all. What did you like about working with Tracey Ullman?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, she's just an icon, and she's just also a beautiful human being. She's a really caring, kind, soulful person who happens to be hilariously funny, but is a brilliant dramatic actor and just doesn't get to kind of show that off much. And so it was great to see her be so brilliant in this role. In this role, which is a very demanding role.

[Interviewer]

What was the relationship between your character and her character?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think she's his most important confidante and friend in the world. I think he tells her more than he tells his wife. And everything, you know, about work, I think he compartmentalizes everything.

[Interviewer]

Oh, interesting.

[Cillian Murphy]

I think that's the only way he can survive.

[Interviewer]

Is that where the addiction comes in?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, I think he compartmentalizes that as well. And, like, it's all very. Those people who have that sort of way of saying or rationalizing these things. Insanely saying. It's okay for me to hide drugs in the laundry room, to hide whiskey in the basement. That's totally.

[Interviewer]

It makes sense.

[Cillian Murphy]

It makes sense.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

And that's it. And then it's okay for me to, like, not tell my wife what's just happened to work, or it's okay for me to not tell, you know, Amanda that I'm relapsing and all these things. You know what I mean? It's just a very, very. That's the kind of tricky world of addiction, you know, Everything becomes justified. I think.

[Interviewer]

There'S a boy at the school named Shai, which is what the book is based on.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What is his relationship? What's Steve's relationship with Shai?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, I think they're like two sides of a coin, really. They're both really sensitive and brilliant people and very open people. But on this particular date, you know, events trigger them both into this kind of breakdown, and they're sort of circling around each other, and they Both really care for each other, but they can't reach each other. And their relationship starts off at the beginning of the day and, you know, things are going all right and then events. Events take place that fracture that relationship in a terrible way. And it's very. It's kind of in the book. It's heartbreaking. And I hope in the film it touches people too.

[Interviewer]

What is it about Shy that really touches Steve?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think he sees his talent and his humor and, you know, his passion for music. But like you said, I think he sees it in all those kids. I think he sees the best in people. He's not one of those people.

[Interviewer]

You know, it's interesting because he just describes each boy with such. Describing their charm and what they're good at. That not people would not necessarily agree with it. Maybe when they first meet young men. How does he find that in people? What is it about Steve that he finds sort of the best in all of these boys?

[Cillian Murphy]

I really don't know the answer to that. I think they're just. I think it's just a type of person that is selfless. And I wish I had that. You know, it's like. It's an amazing trace when Steve sits.

[Interviewer]

Down with this documentary crew that shows up and he thinks, oh, gee, I have to deal with these people as well. And they ask him to describe himself in a few words. He says, very, very tired.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What is making him so exhausted?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think it's everything that I just described, you know, the school falling apart, trying to raise a family, you know, trying to stay sober and clean and try to hide all of these things. Kind of try and compartmentalize all of these things. Not looking after his health? Yeah, that's. I think some of it.

[Interviewer]

Do you think he's a good leader? Steve's a good leader?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, I do, actually.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What makes him a good leader?

[Cillian Murphy]

I don't know. Because he cares about people, he cares about his staff, and he really cares about the kids. And he's non judgmental and he's compassionate.

[Interviewer]

The one thing that does trigger him is when it is announced that the school is going to be closed.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And it's also done in a real sort of cheesy way, kind of a gross way.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer]

Why does that trigger him out of almost everything we see that day?

[Cillian Murphy]

Because I guess that represents sort of bureaucracy and, you know, when people begin to see these sort of institutions in terms of numbers and figures and profit and loss rather than human beings, and they look at these children as statistics and Problems rather than human beings. And he's confronted by these two people. And I think all his commitment and dedication over the years has just been, you know, eroded by someone in an office and he just can't take it.

[Interviewer]

Your beard looked like you hadn't shaven in several days.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, it's not a very attractive beard.

[Interviewer]

It's interesting, though, when you get into a character, when you get into his physicality, what was it about having a beard? What was it about wearing clothes that were a little bit too big that helped you get into character?

[Cillian Murphy]

I just think that he doesn't care about his appearance. He's kind of doesn't. Doesn't care about any of that stuff. I think that in his youth he may have had aspirations to be like, I don't know, a writer or something like that. And, you know, but just again, no time, everything gets left. All the self care just gets abandoned, you know, so he's like, shaving is irrelevant.

[Interviewer]

It's interesting because I think we have different opinions about what the end of the movie might have meant. Which is fine because it's good. People have different opinions about art.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah. I think it's not meant to be in any way prescriptive. It's meant to be ambiguous entirely and open to interpretation.

[Interviewer]

You know, I said that he goes home. I'm not giving much away. He goes home and has sort of a normal life after this really terrible day. He's had and had to deal with so much, and I don't want to give that part away. And there's a little pink bedroom and his little girls are there, and his wife is really lovely to him. And I thought that was. Oh, we've just seen him in one circumstance. He's got a whole other life we have to deal with too.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What did you think happened?

[Cillian Murphy]

I don't want to say, because I don't. I don't. You know, that's just my interpretation. And people see the film through. Through the lens of their own life experiences. And, you know, I have. I have a friend and she's daughters. And she saw the movie and she said, he's got daughters. I mean, he's. He's gonna be there for his daughters. And other people might have a different opinion. So I. I really enjoy that in art, where it's. The audience finishes the story rather than the storytellers.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. I thought daughters was interesting. And they're cute daughters and they're sweet.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

They're not like kind of big men charging around, you know, half formed men.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

So, yeah, he's raising girls when he's minding boys.

[Interviewer]

I want to ask about Peaky Blinders before you have to go. The new film is set to premiere next year.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, next year.

[Interviewer]

The Immortal Man. It's what it's called.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

All right. What keeps you interested in playing that one character after all these years?

[Cillian Murphy]

The writing. Yeah, the writing was always the draw because it was exceptional writing. And I'm always attracted to good writing. And it's, you know, a rare to play a character over the course, like, for 12 years, which was a quarter of my life. And so you get to age with that character and kind of. You never get to do that. Normally, you play characters at that point in your life at that time, whereas this. I got to do it for such a long time. So that adds all sorts of new sort of. You can go to places you never normally would, really.

[Interviewer]

You don't have to name names. But have you just turned down a script because the writing wasn't good?

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Oh, yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

You just. It could have had all the names attached to it. But this. You were like, no, no, this writing is not for me. This is not a good piece of writing.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, but, I mean, it's generally a combination of elements. It's not just the writing, it's the directing. But the foundation of every film is the script.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

You can't.

[Cillian Murphy]

If the script is shaky, the house is gonna fall down. Ultimately, you know, can it.

[Interviewer]

Can a script be fixed or no?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, it depends the extent of the damage, you know.

[Interviewer]

What do you mean?

[Cillian Murphy]

Like, how much. How extensive the fix is. I suppose.

[Interviewer]

I was gonna. My last question. I don't think it's gonna work, because I was gonna ask you what you hope audiences take away from Steve, but you don't. You really. It's not that you don't care. It's that you don't want to tell us what to take away.

[Cillian Murphy]

No, I care. I care, like, incredibly about it.

[Interviewer]

They see it.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

And the responses we've been having are so genuine and so, like, profound. And I'm not saying that just for the sake of saying it. Like, you know, people have been writing to us, and I've had, like, really, really, really long, emotional conversations with people about it. But that's what. That's what I mean, that the film isn't finished until people see it and the audiences finish the film for themselves, and we don't do it. So I think the less that I say about it, the better.

[Interviewer]

Even if huge amounts of audiences don't see the film. Are you happy with the way it came out?

[Cillian Murphy]

I'm entirely happy with the film.

[Audience Member/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

But the the beauty of it is that audiences really seem to be connecting with it.

[Interviewer]

The name of the film is Steve. I've been speaking with Cillian, Murphy Killian. Thank you for making the time. It was good to talk to you.

[Cillian Murphy]

Pleasure.

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